Oscar Revisionism: 1948

In 1948, Laurence Olivier produced, adapted, directed, and starred as Hamlet, winning four Oscars for the year, including Best Picture and Actor.  John Huston's Western The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was also in the list of nominees for the top prize; as well as rape drama Johnny Belinda starring Jane Wyman; The Red Shoes from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger; and The Snake Pit with Olivia de Havilland as a woman who ends up in an insane asylum without any memory of getting there.  But, what if the field had been expanded to ten?  What other movies would have been nominated?

The Search
Montgomery Clift plays an American soldier who helps a young Czech concentration camp survivor find his mother.  Fred Zinnemann received his first nomination for directing, among the film's four nods.  Box Office: $3.2M.  NBR, DGA.  [IMDb: 7.8]

Joan of Arc
Victor Fleming directed Ingrid Bergman as the historic icon in his final feature film.  Nominated for seven awards, including Best Actress and Film Editing.  Box Office: $5.8M.  NBR.  [IMDb: 6.4]

I Remember Mama
George Stevens directed this drama about a Norwegian family in early 1900s San Francisco.  Nominated for cinematography, the movie also garnered four acting nods.  Box Office: $3.1M.  WGA (Drama, Comedy, Misc).  [IMDb: 7.9; RT: 100%]

Naked City
Film noir set in New York City about a search for a killer.  Winner of two Oscars, including black and white cinematography and film editing.  WGA (Drama, Misc).  [IMDb: 7.7; RT: 86%]

A Foreign Affair
Billy Wilder directed Jean Arthur and Marlene Dietrich in this rom-com nominated for two awards for its screenplay.  Box Office: $2.5M.  WGA (Comedy).  [IMDb: 7.4]

Red River
Howard Hawks cattle-driving Western starring John Wayne and Montgomery Clift got two nods including film editing.  Strangely, Hawks had only been nominated for director once before and never again.  Box Office: $9.0M.  DGA, WGA (Western).  [IMDb: 7.8; RT: 100%]

Easter Parade
This Judy Garland and Fred Astaire romantic musical directed by Charles Walters was only nominated for one Oscar (musical score), but it beat out Smile and Waltz as winner.  Box Office: $4.5M.  WGA (Musical) winner.  [IMDb: 7.3; RT: 89%]

Portrait of Jennie
A struggling Depression-era artist find his muse in this William Dieterle fantasy.  Nominated for two awards, winning for Visual Effects.  Box Office: $1.5M.  [IMDb: 7.6; RT: 91%]

When My Baby Smiles at Me
Betty Grable and Dan Dailey were directed by Walter Lang in this musical nominated for two Oscars, including one for Dailey.  Box Office: $4.2M.  WGA (Musical).  [IMDb: 6.6]


Sorry, Wrong Number
Anatole Litvak directed Best Picture nominee The Snake Pit, as well as this film noir thriller with the Oscar-nominated Barbara Stanwyck as a woman who unwittingly becomes untangled in a murder plot.  Box Office: $2.2M.  WGA (Drama).  [IMDb: 7.5; RT: 86%]

Sitting Pretty
Clifton Webb was nominated for lead actor as Mr. Belvedere in this Walter Lang family comedy.  WGA (Comedy) winner.  [IMDb: 7.5]

The Emperor Waltz
Billy Wilder had his hand in the Oscar race with a couple of films this year, one of them being this romantic musical starring Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine.  It was nominated for two Oscars.  Box Office: $4M.  WGA (Musical).  [IMDb: 6.1]

Key Largo
Humphrey Bogart plays a man who must confront a gangster in this John Huston film noir.  Box Office: $8.1M.  WGA (Drama).  [IMDb: 7.9; RT: 96%]

Romance on the High Seas
Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) and Busby Berkeley directed this musical romantic comedy of errors involving impersonators, detectives, and the high seas.  Nominated for two awards.  [IMDb: 6.9]

The Luck of the Irish
A reporter is followed back to New York by a leprechaun after a sojourn in Ireland.  Henry Koster directed this film to one acting nomination.  [IMDb: 6.5]

The Three Musketeers
George Sidney directed this swashbuckling romantic adventure of the Renaissance-era swordsmen.  Box Office: $4.5M.  [IMDb: 7.1; RT: 71%]